


Don't Worry, I'm Alright

by InfectiousKpop



Series: Imaginings [7]
Category: GOT7
Genre: Car Accidents, Inspired by Real Events, M/M, One Shot, Worry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-16
Updated: 2016-09-16
Packaged: 2018-08-15 07:40:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8048026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InfectiousKpop/pseuds/InfectiousKpop
Summary: Mark worries when Jackson goes away, especially when he's filming for Fighting Man. What if he gets hurt? What if he's lonely? Separation, even for just a few days, was always a little difficult for both of them to handle. But when fans turned stalkers cause Jackson to get hurt in a car accident, Mark's worrying skyrockets to new heights.





	Don't Worry, I'm Alright

Mark hadn’t put the diamond cross necklace back on when he got out of the shower that morning. His matching version of the necklace that Jackson had bought for himself in LA had arrived the day after the younger left. When Jackson bought it for him a few days after they’d gotten back, they’d agreed that Mark couldn’t wear it until his birthday, no matter how soon it arrived. That was before Jackson had to fly off to film for three days. They both missed each other, but it still surprised Mark a little that, when they’d talked the night before, Jackson told him to wear it. Mark had asked why, but Jackson wouldn’t give him a straight answer. “I just want you to wear it, that’s all,” he said. The older’s birthday was still a few days away, but Jackson was nothing if not sentimental. All of their matching jewelry meant so much more than what most people thought. It was more than just similar tastes or coincidental choices. It was a subtle yet entirely obvious sign. They were each other’s match. Mark carefully opened the package, staring lovingly at the pendant for a moment before securing the thin chain around his neck.

Mark hadn’t eaten breakfast before they left for the airport. He wasn’t hungry. All he could think about was Jackson. Had he managed to get some sleep? Was his body aching? Was he feeling better? The younger had been tired and sore from filming, not to mention he was probably nursing a tiny hangover after the post-filming party he attended. He knew the answers Jackson had texted him in response to his nagging (a little, kinda, yes), but part of Mark still worried. It was a part of him that wouldn’t give up until he could see Jackson for himself, until he could hold his boyfriend again and protect him. It was something he should’ve been doing all along.

Mark hadn’t so much as looked at the people that surrounded the six of them as he walked to their gate, the other five members following closely behind. His thoughts focused on getting on the plane. The sooner they all reached Tokyo, the closer he would be to seeing Jackson again. He got a little embarrassed by himself when he realized how desperately he missed the younger when he traveled to China for work, but he couldn’t help it. He’d spent so much of the last five years with the other around him, so the time they spent apart felt excruciatingly long.

Mark hadn’t let go of his phone since they got out of the van. Jackson had been awake for a while, but he was only just starting to really wake up, meaning his texts started to become a little more frequent. They were mostly short and riddled with mistakes, and Mark didn’t reply to most of them, but he looked at them all. He imagined a groggy, slightly grumpy Jackson muttering every text, acting like he didn’t want to type out the messages even though they both knew he never really texted anyone when he didn’t want to do.

Mark hadn’t stopped rubbing the diamond-encrusted pendant that hung from his neck since he’d gotten the call. Ari noona sounded worried and distracted, like Mark was the last person she wanted to be talking to at that moment. But she only had to say a few words before Jackson was on the phone, immediately reassuring Mark that he was fine before the older even knew what happened. Not that he needed to. He could hear Jackson’s raspy voice and occasional little gasps. Jackson crying was never a good sign. The younger just barely got to explain what happened before Ari took the phone away, telling Mark to fill Jaebum and the others in before hanging up on him. Whenever he tried to call back, it went straight to voicemail.

Mark hadn’t slept on the plane. How could he when he knew that hundreds of miles away, Jackson was in pain. He didn’t even know how injured Jackson really was, if he’d gone to the hospital, if he was still going to be on his scheduled flight. The plane needed to land already so he could turn his phone back on. He hated that Jackson traveled alone so often. Sure, he had the staff that traveled with him, but it wasn’t the same. They weren’t friends. Mark should’ve been there. He wanted to be there. But no one ever let him go. Maybe if he’d been there this time, Jackson wouldn’t have cried. Maybe if he’d been there, the fans wouldn’t have been so desperate to see him. Maybe they wouldn’t have been so reckless that they caused an accident. Maybe.

Mark hadn’t ever worried about someone as much as he worried about Jackson. But that was probably because he’d never loved someone so completely before. As soon as the plane’s wheels touched the ground, he turned off airplane mode, staring at the screen as his phone slowly regained service. A few notifications popped up, but the only one he cared about was the one from Line. _I’m alright. Promise. Just a little banged up. I’m on my flight. See you there._ He was well enough to know exactly what Mark was wondering about. Well enough to reassure the older that he would be alright with a little rest. Well enough to remind him that they would be together again soon.

Mark hadn’t ever noticed time creep by so slowly before. Not even when they released their music videos did it inch by at such a sluggish pace. The two hours that separated their arrival times felt like two weeks, leaving Mark pacing around his hotel room like a caged tiger. He’d annoyed Yugyeom so much that the younger escaped to BamBam’s room. Someone knocked on his door with just a half hour left before Jackson’s flight landed. Part of him thought about ignoring it, giving the excuse later that he was sleeping or in the shower or something. But he knew anything would be better for him than pacing the room any more, trapped in his own head. He checked the peephole, seeing their manager and Jaebum standing side-by-side on the other end of the door.

Mark hadn’t even hesitated when the manager told him and Jaebum that Jackson would be going straight to the hospital when he landed. “Can I go, too?” Mark asked, not even blinking. Usually he didn’t even bother asking to go see Jackson when he arrived, knowing the answer was always no. But this was different. This time, he was going to the hospital. This time, he could really be hurt. He needed someone there with him. Mark needed to be there with him. He saw the hesitation in his manager’s face. The gut reaction was to say no. But he hesitated. “I can only take one person with me,” he said. “If Jaebum is okay with not going, then you can come along.” Mark turned to look at his friend, eyes wide with concern and a hint of panic. Jaebum was nothing but the biggest supporter of Mark and Jackson’s relationship, but Mark knew he felt a duty as leader to be around when things happened, to know what was going on as soon as anyone else knew, if not sooner. “Of course you should go,” Jaebum said, nodding in agreement. “Just promise to keep me updated before anyone else.” Mark nodded quickly, ready to jump in the car and speed off to the hospital right then and there. But there was still time before the needed to leave. More waiting. More silence.

Mark hadn’t ever felt more emotionally conflicted than he did when he saw Jackson limp into the hospital, both hands clutching his back. It took him less than two seconds to rush to the younger’s side, wrapping an arm carefully around his waist to support his weight as best he could. A piece of Mark’s heart cracked seeing his boyfriend in such a bad state, not bothering to hide the pain anymore now that he was out of the public eye. At the same time, an anger boiled inside his stomach. People who were supposed to love about and care for Jackson had done this to him. They were crazy. They’d been crazy. Mark had warned Jackson about the way his fans were acting. It wasn’t safe. He needed to be careful. But Jackson had always just laughed. He’d always said they’d never do anything to hurt him. Now look where he was.

Mark hadn’t had the chance to even talk to Jackson before the nurses walked him into the back to see the doctor. Only their manager could go with them, telling Ari to head back to the hotel before he walked away. That left Mark all alone in the waiting room, staring at the stained carpet floor as he fiddled with his thumbs. Then the hem of his sleeve. Then the silver chain bracelet that he kept latched to his wrist. How long did it take to look at someone’s back? Were they taking x-rays? Was it that serious? When Jackson and their manager came back out half an hour later, Mark had run through almost every possibility in his head, even the most extreme, unlikely ones. “Just a little strain. Nothing a little rest won’t cure,” their manager assured. Mark sighed, letting out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding, and moved to Jackson’s side, slipping his arm back around the younger’s waist for support. “See?” Jackson muttered, doing his best to put on a smile. “I told you I’m alright.”

Mark hadn’t ever felt more relieved to have Jackson curled up in his arms, fast asleep at the hotel. What would happen next, no one knew. He had a sneaking suspicion that Jackson would try and continue on with the rest of their schedule like nothing was wrong. He had a tendency to do that. But for now, they were both safe and sound, resting together while they still could. That’s all that mattered.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again everyone! Since the next chapter of Bringing Color is so long and it's taking me forever to write, I figured I'd fix this up and share it with you all. I wrote the original version of this when the news of Jackson's accident first broke, before we knew more details about when and how it happened. Since a lot of the original one shot was, essentially, wrong, I updated it to fit the scenario as we now know it. The original was also less than 700 words, so I expanded it to make it a little more... substantial.
> 
> I took a stylistic approach with this one, starting every paragraph with "Mark hadn't" just to kind of challenge myself a little. I wanted to see if I could take something stylistic and make it work without it seeming too repetitive or campy. Let me know how you think it turned out in the comments!


End file.
